


Father Jools

by Osiris_Brackhaus (Rynthjan)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Leichnam, M/M, phoenix empire, sexual magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-19
Updated: 2012-07-19
Packaged: 2017-11-10 06:53:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/463442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynthjan/pseuds/Osiris_Brackhaus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Aroona healer embedded with a Belligra platoon, Father Jools has to make a swift decision after a suicide bombing on Leichnam ..</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father Jools

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the year 5038 of the Phoenix Empire timeline.

It was only until the Captain shook him violently that Jools actually realized he was still alive.

"Chaplain?! Chaplain, are you alright?"

Jools tried to make a sound, or at least say a word. But all he managed was a choked noise and some awkward twitch of his neck.

"By God," he heard Captain Gaius exclaim, "I think he's alive! Damn it, we have to dig him out here!"

Blinking, the Aroona priest tried to make sense of his surroundings. There was a lot of smoke in the gray sky above him, and pieces of sooty rubble lying all around. He could hear fire burning nearby, the cries of confused civilians and the wails of the wounded.

Then, suddenly, Captain Gaius was at his side again.

"Jools, can you hear me?" he asked, much softer than before. "Blink if you can understand what I say."

"I'm okay."

It sounded much worse than the priest had hoped it would, but then again, it was a small miracle he was still saying anything at all.

Bit by bit, Jools’ memories returned.

They had been on patrol in a remote village here on Leichnam, in a region that had recently been overrun by a rash of demon cultists. Just when they had been reasonably sure that this village was clean, a woman had approached him. She had carried a bundle and begged him to help her sick child. Naturally, the Aroona healer had offered to have a look, but instantly came to regret his decision. The bundle in her arms was not a child, but a neat pack of explosives, and all Father Jools cold do was to yell a warning to his squad before the suicide bomber blew them both to pieces.

"Twas a smart try," he croaked after some of the other Belligra soldiers had pulled him out of the rubble of a wall that had collapsed onto him. "They went for the healer first."

The comment elicited some laughter among warrior priests around him, even though they seemed somewhat less spirited than usual.

"How bad is it?" he asked as soon as the Captain appeared back at his side.

"Bad, but not as bad as I feared." Unusually emotional, Gaius put his heavily armoured hand on Jools’ shoulder. "Man, I have your entrails all over me. I thought we had lost you for good. But when we saw the light underneath the rubble...” Blinking with wonder, he hesitated for a moment. “I've never seen a proper miracle before. You are truly blessed."

For a heartbeat, Father Jools was tempted to reply that there was a significant difference between a miracle and a ridiculously lucky attempt at saving himself, but then he just smiled. There were desperately few miracles these days, and he wouldn't take one away from his fellow soldiers.

"Apparently, God decided I was still needed here." Swiftly regaining his stamina, Jools looked at the chaos surrounding them. "Casualties?"

"None among our men, only a few headwounds among those who foolishly weren't wearing their helmets." Judging by the long bloody gash running down his temple, the Captain Gaius counted himself among those. "But the civilians... Only a few dead, but several dozen wounded, most of them critically. The boys are out there, doing what they can, but those wounds - I think the shrapnel were poisoned in some way."

"Poisoned shrapnel? Now how's that supposed to work?" Jools asked under his breath.

But it wouldn't surprise him too much if Gaius' assessment was right. Demonists were an awfully crafty bunch when it came to killing people.

Taking the Captain's offered hand, he pulled himself up onto his feet again. A bit wobbly, still, but he knew he was fine. Dirty and scorched from the remains of the wall that had collapsed on top of him, and naked except for his sandals. His robes hadn't survived the blast, and the few remaining tatters had been brushed off him with the rest of the debris. But his body was fully restored, healthy and tanned and hungry as a wolf.

It had been a close call, Jools was very well aware of that. The instant he had realized he wouldn't be able to escape the blast, he had hurled all his energy into a single healing prayer, hoping that the blast wouldn't be able to kill him faster than he was able to heal himself. And his faith hadn't been misplaced, obviously. But his energy reserves had been completely drained, and right now he was about as useful a healer as any soldier with a first-aid kit.

But looking around the devastated market place, he knew that a few days rest were out of the question. Everywhere around him, people were running, screaming, soldiers tending to the dead and wounded, trying to keep things as orderly as that was possible under these circumstances. The Belligra platoon he was embedded with had hardly sustained any damage, but there were dozens of civilian casualties.

Right now, the shock and fear still dominated, but this soon would change. This was Leichnam, after all, and the local population was well known for their dislike of any foreigners. Soon enough they would start blaming the Belligra for attracting the demonists' attention, if not outright suspecting them of staging the whole attack to justify their presence. It was a silly notion, but then again, that was Leichnam in a nutshell.

Their primary mission objective here was to root out a cabal of demonists, but they were also here to win the hearts and minds of the local population. They had to make sure the church would be perceived as the good guys in this game.

So Father Jools had to do something, and quickly so. People were suffering all around him, some of them dying, a few already dead. Each second he hesitated would damage their image more.

If he still had been operating on full batteries, it would have been a simple thing to to stabilize all wounds around around him sufficiently with a single prayer and to gain enough time to properly heal everyone. Well, not actually simple, but simple enough. But his mind felt as empty as a church at dinner time. He needed energy, there was no way around it.

Standart procedure would be to tap what little reserves his platoon mates had, pooling their resources. But that would hardly be enough to even stabilize the wounded, let alone to heal them.

Blood magic was a possibility, as always, he thought with a grim smile. While the Aroona officially condemned all use of blood magic, they were well aware of the potential. Many high-ranking priests were educated enough to know about the risks and rewards, and able to make informed decisions. But even though blood magic would have easily generated the needed energy, it was out of the question in this case. Blood magic attracted demons like shit attracted flies. And in a region already suffering from demonic taint, that would be an open invitation for disaster worse than anything the demonists could have cooked up themselves.

That left Father Jools with only one option. Neither subtle nor morally impeccable, it would work fast enough, though. If only he found a proper partner.

"Captain?", he asked firmly, surprising himself how steady his voice already sounded. "I need your help."

Instantly, the leader of the Belligra platoon turned towards him, his face clearly showing that he considered the Aroona the most important member of his team right now. "What can I do?"

Instead of an answer, Jools stretched out his hand, gently touching the Gaius’ face. For a heartbeat, the grizzled warrior priest looked puzzled, but then he understood. With visible effort, he relaxed into the touch, leaning against his chaplain's fingers much like a child would cuddle with his father's hand. An odd scene, to say the least, but imminently useful.

It was one of the tiny tricks that allowed the Aroona to work their special kind of magic - the knowledge that human bodies wanted to communicate, to share both sensations and energy. Just by creating a pleasant, sensual contact between them, Jools could tap Captain Gaius’ energy. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give him the kick start he needed.

Instantly, his supernatural senses came back to life. Pain and horror around him became as palpable as sounds and scents to him, but he forced himself to look behind the obvious emotions. Fear and anger he noticed, of course, but that wasn’t what he was looking for, either. Repulsion and curiosity, much closer already. And then, finally, there was a spark of attraction, of embarrassment, confusion and longing he had been looking for.

Jools opened his eyes in the direction he had sensed those emotions coming from and couldn’t suppress a dirty smile. Half hidden behind a stable door, there was a teenage boy looking directly back at him, biting his lower lip, his dark eyes huge and hungry. Probably, this was the first time he saw a handsome man naked in the marketplace, tanned and healthy, and it stirred all kinds of inappropriate longings inside of him.

The boy realized Jools looking at him and immediately hid inside.

“Make sure we remain undisturbed.” he told the Captain Gaius. He would know what Jools was about to do, and act accordingly.

Walking towards the stable, the chaplain had to fight down his dirty smirk. This sure would end up creating a whole lot of rumors about his Temple. Seducing teenage stable boys in the aftermath of a suicide bombing wouldn’t seem too pious with the local population. But while a simple, pleasant touch could create a bridge between two bodies, hot, sweaty and wholesome sex could generate energy in magnitudes that demonists only dreamed of. Especially when teenage hormones and suppressed sexual desires were involved.

If he didn’t misjudge the youth he had seen, his penned up sexual energy, once ingnited and channeled in the proper prayers, would be able to heal all those wounded within a few minutes. With a little bit of luck, even the dead whose souls still lingered would be given a second chance.

So when he reached the stable, he put on his most disarming smile. Inside, he found the boy half hiding behind several bales of hay. By his blush, Jools instantly knew he wouldn’t be too hard to seduce.

“Hey,” he said, leaning against the stable door naked as he was, his sultry tone leaving little question of his intention. “I am Father Jools of Temple Aroona. And I need your help.”

Leaning against the stable door, naked as he was, his sultry tone left little question of his intention.

A little deeper inside the stable, the boy was half hiding behind a pile of hay bales. Maybe fifteen years old, he looked cute – curly brown hair and dark eyes; his skin pale like almost everyone else’s here on Leichnam. His oiled leather cloak was hanging on a rusty nail near the stable door, together with the broad-rimmed hat that was the local signature outfit.

Leichnam was a humid planet, its skies so heavy with clouds that it looked like a shrouded corpse from orbit – hence the name. But right now it wasn’t raining, only overcast, and the gray light that fell into the stable was mixed with orange flickers from the flames that were still burning on the market place.

“What’s your name?” Jools asked, trying not to scare the boy any more than necessary.

After all, there were people dying out there, and he was in kind of a hurry to get this on.

“Mica.”

The boy’s voice was surprisingly deep, but maybe he was just putting extra effort into not sounding like a child. The way he was biting his lower lip, though, surely spoke of rather adult thoughts he was having.

“Hello Mica.” This was a delicate moment. If Jools was too forward, the boy might still bolt and run, and if he took too much time, the situation outside would only deteriorate. “I noticed you looking at me.”

For a moment, Mica cast down his eyes.

“I’ve never seen... a miracle before.”

Father Jools smiled widely, well aware of the compliment the boy was not telling.

“The grace of the Lord is an amazing thing to witness. But there is still many wounded people out there, and I need your help to heal them.”

“I’m not -” Mica spurted out, only to stop in the middle of the sentence. “I’m not a medic.”

“I don’t need a medic.”

“Oh.”

As non-threatening as possible, Father Jools took a cautious step towards Mica.

“I want to heal all those wounded out there, and I don’t have much time. The ritual I need to perform requires a partner, and you… would be perfectly suited.”

That wasn’t exactly correct, but not a lie, either. Father Jools could perform the actual healing ritual all by himself – it was the energy for the ritual that he needed the boy for. But considering the urgency of the situation, he figured that some kind of abbreviations were permissible. And the boy was perfectly suited indeed. The longer Jools looked at Mica, the more he came to the conclusion that he was genuinely looking forward to this.

“Okay...” Mica sounded hesitant and clueless, but definitely tempted. “How can I help you, Father?”

“We would have to make love.”

Mica made a choked sound that could have been anything.

“I am not a girl.”

“I know.”

Carefully, Jools studied the stable boy for clues.

Mica was wearing a simple but sturdy shirt, trousers with leather patches on the knees and heavy boots. He didn’t seem to come from a poor family, but rather looked like a farmer’s son who helped out in the stables here in town. Jools couldn’t tell if he was a serf or a commoner, that was a distinction no one cared about out here. Probably the boy couldn’t write more than his name, and all he knew about the world outside came from his village priest.

Not an easy start, but then again, suppressed sexual desires made for a lot of energy. And that was exactly that Jools was looking for right now.

“But...” Mica asked hesitantly. “Wouldn’t that be a sin?”

Jools laughed light-heartedly, hoping to disperse the boy’s fears better this way than with mere words.

“No, it wouldn’t be. I can assure you as a Priest of Temple Aroona that nothing you do together with a consenting adult is a sin.”

“That is not what our priest says.”

“And, do you believe him?”

Again, Mica bit his lower lip, clearly answering Jools’ question.

“Listen to your heart,” he told Mica instead. “What does your heart tell you?”

This time, Mica gave an insecure laugh.

“Nothing I think I should be talking about with a priest. I assume.”

“Oh, but I think you should.” Jools replied, smirking. “Every dirty little detail.”

Mica blinked at him, disbelieving, blushing deep crimson to the tips of his hair.

Still smiling, Jools turned around and closed the stable door behind him. The small, dirty window let in sufficient light, but at least it felt a little more private. Under his breath, he whispered a little prayer, hoping to bless this stable as much as possible under the circumstances. The ritual he was planning would work nicely without, but he would need any little support if he wanted to affect all those wounded. This would have to be a down-and-dirty field version of a High Aroona Ritual, and he would be damned if he didn’t do his very best to try and hit this one out of the park.

Turning back to Mica, he found the boy still standing next to the hay, but no longer hiding. Instead, he was standing there, staring at Jools with unabashed fascination. Well aware of what an image he was presenting right now, Jools placed himself a little better into the light falling through the window, running his fingers through the soft trail of hair that ran down from his belly to his crotch.

“Are all Aroona this beautiful?” the stable boy asked, his voice husky and still a little shy.

“All humans are beautiful.” Jools replied with a chuckle. “I am not special, but perfectly healthy. Virile. And I think your body picks up on that. I am your type.”

“Hm. Yes.”

Mica’s remark was only a little more than a whisper, but it was quite clear that he was smitten.

Calmly, Jools walked over to the boy, taking his hand. The instant his fingertips touched Mica’s skin, he felt an almost electric tingle run through his body. This boy was so charged that Jools could only come to one conclusion. He couldn’t believe his luck.

“This is your first time, yes?”

Mica looked as if caught doing something wrong, but nodded none the less. “I am sorry?”

“What the hell for?” Gently, he took the boy’s hand and kissed his fingertips. “If at all, I am sorry that I don’t have more time to make this extra special for you, then. But I feel honored that you allow me to be your first.”

“I feel honored that you notice me at all, Father.” Mica replied with a shaky smile.

Returning Mica’s smile, Jools took the boy’s hand and placed it against his naked chest.

Already, he could feel their bodies getting closer spiritually, their auras entwining, becoming more than the sum of their parts. Once again, he couldn’t help but marvel at the perfect beauty of his job. Helping people by making sure he had the most awesome sex possible. What was not to love about that?

“Do I... do I have to do anything special?” Mica asked, his eyes still huge and wandering all across Jools’ body.

“No.” Smiling widely, Jools took his time twirling one of Mica’s thick curls around his fingers. “You are under strict orders to do what you want, and to enjoy what you do.”

For a heartbeat, Mica looked hesitant, again chewing on his lower lip. Then, cautious but curious, he asked:

“May I kiss you, Father?”

Instead of an answer, Jools pulled the boy closer, leaning down a little so he could kiss him on the lips. Mica’s kiss was cautious at first, curious and wary, but soon turned more sensual. Jools could smell Mica now, his body underneath the smell of leather and mud and manure. It was an enticing mix, no longer a child but not quite a grown man yet.

And like his scent, Mica’s aura now enveloped Jools entirely, sharing more information than a long talk could have. Jools could feel the hard physical work this boy was doing every day, his calm character and caring nature. A good boy, and way too kind for a place like Leichnam, where everyone suspected everyone else of harboring dark secrets and hatching evil plans. He probably was a loner, not by choice, but by lack of people he could trust, having been hurt too often to risk more. That he was able to open up to Jools like this was a little miracle in itself and was proof that Mica had been able to keep his emotional sanity mostly intact in this unwelcoming environment.

Slowly, Jools started untying Mica’s shirt laces, smiling at the renewed blush of the boy.

“You tell me when I am doing anything you don’t like, yes?”

“Yes, Father.” Licking his lips, he looked up at Jools from under his lashes, a tiny smile in the corner of his eyes. “If you promise the same.”

Chuckling, Jools nodded, pulling Mica’s shirt over his head.

“Damn, you are chiseled!” Jools couldn’t keep himself from remarking as he saw the boy’s muscular shoulders and lean hips. “They sure know how to breed ‘em here.”

Mica only shrugged, now looking rather self-conscious again.

“I work hard.” He said, almost as if trying to find an excuse. “And your skin has a weird color.”

Looking down at his belly where Mica’s hands were resting, Jools found his own, tanned skin contrasting with Mica’s pure white. Little wonder that on a planet with hardly any direct sunlight, people who were anything but pale looked weird.

And Jools had to admit that Mica was a pretty one, indeed. His pale skin didn’t look unhealthy, only white as milk, and the little fuzz of hair growing around his belly looked quite handsome on him. Already, the boy was sporting quite an impressive bulge in his pants, and slowly Jools found his own body getting in the mood as well.

Leaning forward again, Jools kissed the boy once more, this time burying one hand in the curls of Micah’s hair. With his other hand, he guided Mica to his dick, gently but with no time to lose. The boy gasped into their kiss with surprise, but didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he seemed to relax even more, leaning against Jools, the naked skin of his chest cool and smooth.

It took only a few heartbeats, and Jools was fully hard in the stable boy’s hand. It was difficult to keep the concentration necessary for what he was trying to do. Mica’s touch was cautious and entirely inexperienced. But his emotions were clean and honest, curiosity and excitement mixed with that unique kind of trust that a young man can only show to a complete stranger.

“Would you like me to touch you as well?”

Mica chuckled under his breath at the question.

“I would very much like that, Father,” he replied. Taking a clue from Jools earlier actions, he took the other man’s hand and put it over his own cock, rock hard and hot inside his pants.

Smiling, Jools kissed him again, gently stroking along the length of his cock. If he was this size now already, Jools wondered, Mica would truly grow into a big boy one day. Sliding his hand into Mica’s pants, he started massaging the hot dick, smiling widely as the boy’s breath grew irregular, urgent, almost panting.

This was the moment Jools had been waiting for. Now that they were both aroused and full of desire, he could work their combined energies as if they were his own. It was not easy to balance his need for concentration, the need to keep Mica aroused but not coming instantly and his own physical desires.

But so far, he seemed to manage nicely.

While Mica was just leaning into their embrace, his eyes half closed and breathing heavily, Jools could feel the wild, shapeless energy of their arousal coalesce into something he could work with. More and more, Jools felt himself spread out of his body, his awareness spreading into Mica, into the Belligra priest discreetly guarding the stable door, into all people in the vicinity.

Together with the energy their make out session was already generating, Father Jools could finally start doing what he was here for.

First and most importantly, he concentrated on those already dying. All they needed was a little spark of energy, a tiny bit of lifeforce that continued to tie their souls to their bodies even if their hearts had already stopped beating. It didn’t change much, but for a few seconds, it made all the difference.

Only in the very last moment, he realized that Mica in his arms was already close to his climax.

“Oh, you don’t get out so easily,” he remarked jovially, taking his hand out of the stable boy’s pants.

Mica opened his eyes, huge brown orbs filled with confusion and clouded with lust and need.

“What? Did I do anything wrong?”

“No, darling, you’re doing everything right.” Knowing that Mica wouldn’t back out any longer, Jools dropped all pretense of moderation. “I want you to fuck me. Hard and thorough. Now.”

Again, Mica merely gave a startled laugh. For an instant, he believed that Jools was merely joking, but there was only sincere desire in the priest’s eyes.

“If that is what you want, Father…”

Instead of an answer, Jools stepped deeper into the stable onto a pile of hay that just about looked comfortable enough; pulling Mica along with him. This wasn’t exactly how he would have liked things himself, but Jools had to make concessions to the moment. This was Mica’s first time, and he would make it as wonderful and hot for him as he possibly could. After all, he was spreading his legs for a good cause.

With a few deft motions, he opened Mica’s pants, finally freeing his cock. Pulling the trousers down around the boy’s ankles, Jools couldn’t help but feel a tiny twinge of jealousy. Damn, that boy was so young and already built like a brickwall. He would make a stunning hunk of a man one day.

“Come here you delicious thing,” Jools heard himself say.

A little insecure about what to do, Mica just stood there next to Jools for a heartbeat. Not intent to let any opportunity go to waste, the priest seized the moment to plant a sensual kiss onto the top of Mica’s cock, a gesture that the stable boy answered with a low moan.

“How do I…” Mica started, but Jools cut him off with another naughty kiss.

“Just lie down next to me. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Still a little daunted, Mica nodded and joined Jools on the hay. For a moment, they just kissed, their hands exploring each other’s bodies. In the back of his mind, Jools could feel the energy pooling around them, like a dammed river swelling in his bed. But he didn’t allow the energies to dissipate as they would have naturally, instead used them to create a weave around the two of them that would gather even more energy, harness it and allow Jools to use it to work a true miracle.

Forcing his attention back to the beautiful stable boy in his arms, Jools knew he wouldn’t be able to keep Mica from coming much longer. So he diverted a tiny bit of the gathered energy into a tiny prayer for himself, just a little trick he had learned when he was still a novice.

“Lie on your back,” he whispered into Mica’s ear, and the boy instantly followed suit.

Straddling him across his hips, Jools bent down to kiss him, smiling again at the open wonder and excitement he could see in his young lover’s face.

“You tell me if anything feels weird, yes?” he said, cautiously lowering himself onto Mica’s hard cock.

The boy’s eyes widened until they were as huge as saucers, and a soundless gasp escaped his open mouth.

“You like that, don’t you?” Jools asked, hardly able to suppress a shiver himself as he could feel the boy fill him from inside. What a luck he could get himself instantly prepared, he thought to himself. All around him, Jools could now feel the energy flowing, like a river of stars in the air around them.

Slowly, he started to move on Mica’s dick, up and down, the motion of his body matching the measured breath of the boy.

“Oh my God,” Mica whispered under his breath, his curly hair a dark halo around his flushed face.

Completely unexpected, Mica sat up under Jools, embracing the priest with his strong, white arms. Jools was a little taken aback at this sudden initiative, but he sure wasn’t going to complain. Every little bit that made it better for Mica would help make the ritual a success. And the more active the stable boy became, the more of Jools’ concentration was free to actually work that ritual.

“Oh my fucking God.“ Mica whispered again, this time with determination as his body found its own rhythm with Jools.

“Look at me,” Jools demanded, convinced the boy would soon reach his peak.

But once again, he was in for a surprise.

Instead of rushing over the edge, Mica slowed down a little, locking his gaze with Jools, fully intent on savoring each little second out of this encounter. There was suddenly a determination in his eyes that was just plain hot, and from one moment to another, Jools suddenly found himself no longer in control of their lovemaking. Not that he minded in the slightest.

A little clumsy, but with all the more determination, Mica turned both of them around in the hay, so that he came to lie on top of Jools now. Cautiously, he tried to move again, pushing his cock deep into Jools.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, warning bells began to ring.

He mustn’t let himself go, Jools reminded himself firmly. Mustn’t abandon himself in the heat of the moment. In the fire that was suddenly burning in Mica’s eyes, in the motion of the muscles in his strong shoulders. With all the energy they had harnessed already, the consequences would be absolutely uncontrollable. Still positive, probably, but who could tell?

But it was so hard concentrating, so incredibly hard. Hard as the cock that filled Jools again and again, each thrust a wave eroding his determination. The way Mica’s curls bobbed on the pale skin of his shoulders. The way his perky ass came into Jools’ field of vision each time he pulled out, and disappeared behind his shoulders again once he pushed back in.

Despite his best attempts, Jools felt himself dissolve into their union, completely overrun by Mica’s pure and unadulterated passion. He could feel himself near his climax, and he knew Micah was there, too.

Only in the last moment, Mica raised his head, smiling, sweaty, his eyes wide open, full of rapture.

Seeing Mica come both with his mind and his eyes, feeling him hot and hard and pumping deep inside of him, was simply too much for Jools. While his own orgasm flooded over him, he could feel the last threads of his spell rip and tear apart in the torrent of energy that came rushing through both of them.

This was bad, really bad, and oh so wonderful at the same time.

\---

It took a while for Jools to come back to his senses.

For the second time today, he needed a moment to remember where he was. But unlike the first time, he wasn’t covered in rubble, with the screams of the wounded all around. This time, he was covered in hay, with a beautiful, milk-skinned stable boy half on top of him. Quite the improvement, actually.

Outside, it was quiet, and only the soft sound of a light rain falling on the stable was to be heard.

Calmly, Mica looked up, his face still flushed, his eyes shining.

“Wow.”

Jools only smiled. Wow indeed. He hardly dared to employ his supernatural senses to see what the wild energy of his uncontrolled spell had done outside.

“Is it always like this?”

“I am afraid not,” Jools replied honestly. “This was pretty damn amazing.”

Mica chuckled softly, rolling off Jools and onto his back, his still engorged cock glistening wet in the low light. At the sight, Jools felt himself shudder again at the memory. Damn that boy was good, he thought by himself. And apparently, quite my type, too.

Then suddenly, a motion by the window caught his eye. With growing dread, Jools realized that suddenly, there were tufts of grass growing on the window sill. Inside the stable.

So he had definitely lost control of the spell. And a very common effect of such a ridiculous amount of lifeforce dissipating randomly was a growth spurt in all living things, plants most of all.

“I’ll need to have a look if the ritual worked,” Jools said softly to Mica. “Will you be okay for a moment?”

Mica nodded, and Jools gave him a tiny, tender kiss on the forehead. He really should stay with the boy for at least a few moments longer, but Jools just had to know.

“Can I borrow your cloak for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Slipping into the waterproof cloak was easier than Jools had thought, the material being much lighter and more supple than it looked. Right in front of the door, there was a patch of moss on the ground, now, tuffs of deep green sprinkled with tiny, white flowers. Jools almost groaned at the sight. What had they done?

Taking a deep breath, Jools calmed himself as much as he could and opened the door.

Which prove surprisingly hard, as there was a small tree growing in front of it. And a pile of brambles.

With growing dread, he pushed himself out of the door, only to stop at the sight in front of him.

Only minutes ago, the marketplace had been an empty square of packed dirt; now it looked more like a forest clearing. The single, measly Illeiya tree that had been standing in one corner now towered over all the houses, its giant leaves covering almost half the square, shading them from the light rain falling. Small trees were growing at completely random places, roofs were covered with patches of grass and flowers, each single puddle had a collar of thick green moss.  
Everywhere people were standing, staring at the lush vegetation. Half of the plants were flowering completely out of season; the other half was brimming with fruits. Children were running around, collecting snails and slugs that were hiding between the shrubbery, carrying their slimy bounty into their families’ pens.

In the middle of the whole mess, Jools found his platoon of Belligra priests, their white ceramsteel armor clearly setting them apart from the civilians. But even though father Gaius was looking at Jools with a shake of his head, his eyes were smiling. With a slightly mocking grin, the elderly captain pointed towards a group of locals that was huddled around a person sitting on a stretcher on the ground.

Apparently, the ritual hadn’t been a complete miss, after all, only a little unfocused.

The more Jools looked around, the more he found evidence that indeed, he had hit this one out of the park. Not even a single person was wounded any longer, and if he counted correctly, even the civilians who had been clinically dead were fine again. This was amazing, and far greater than anything Jools had ever dared to hope achieving.

But that was the true wonder of his profession. Even though he knew a lot more than most about the workings of the universe, and even though he could do things no mere mortal would think possible, there were still miracles happening to him.

Silently, he gave a small prayer of gratitude. Three times today, he had been lucky beyond any reason. Sometimes, the hand of God manifested in the smallest things, but then that was where it was most powerful.

But there was someone else he had to thank besides God.

Smiling, he squeezed back into the stable, where Mica was just putting his pants back on.

“Hey,” he said again. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“I have to thank you.” Mica replied, slightly tongue in cheek. “And I couldn’t have done this without you, either.”

Laughing softly, Jools wondered what would become of Mica once they left this town. People here on Leichnam wouldn’t forget that he had joined in an Aroona ritual, and probably would be giving him a hard time for it sooner or later. It would be a shame to see someone like Mica being ground down by such a dismal place like this.

But considering the boy’s special talents, there was an option here that Father Jools surely wouldn’t let go to waste.

“Tell me, Mica. Have you ever considered joining the church?”


End file.
